| Congratulations 2010 UXL Award Recipients |
| Five Local Citizens, Businesses Recognized for Excellence |
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The Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce announced the recipients of its 2010 UXL Awards, which recognized five local individuals and enterprises for their business excellence and contributions to the community.
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This year's honorees are Small Business Person of the Year Rocco Biale, Owner, Rocco's Ristorante & Pizzeria; Citizen of the Year Richard D. Dubey, Jr., Community Volunteer; Educator of the Year Deborah Walker, Teacher, Buena Vista Elementary; Innovator of the Year DOE Joint Genome Institute; and Business of the Year Diablo Auto Specialists, Owner, Time Stussi.
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| The five deserving recipients were honored at the Chamber's Installation Luncheon, Tuesday, April 13, 2010, at Scott's Seafood Grill & Bar in Walnut Creek. "These honorees exemplify excellence within our community," said Leslie Dawson, outgoing Walnut Creek Chamber Chairman of the Board. "We congratulate them for these awards, but more importantly, for their accomplishments and dedication to the community." |
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Rocco Biale is the owner of Rocco's Ristorante & Pizzeria, a family owned and operated restaurant in Walnut Creek. The restaurant business is in Rocco's blood as his father and uncle went into the bar and restaurant business in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Honolulu; is is there that he learned the importance of being a hands-on owner. In the fall of 1999, he opened his restaurant where he has tried to maintain that same warm and inviting feeling his father and uncle provided for so many years. Rocco's Ristorante and Pizzeria was voted for having the best pizza in the East Bay by the Contra Costa Times Reader's Poll. [pictured left-right: Leslie Dawson, Rocco Biale]
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Richard D. Dubey, Jr. is the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteer training coordinator for the City of Walnut Creek. He serves as an area coordinator for the neighborhood where he lives and assumed the role of CERT training coordinator for the City in January 2009. He served 27 years in the United States Army and the Army Reserve. He served primarily as an instructor/trainer in the basic combat training divisions and retired as a Command Sergeant Major with the U.S. Army Reserve Drill Sergeants' Academy.Dick is now semi-retired and is serving as the company's field engineer and consultant for computer controlled injection sprayers and waste water treatment plants. Dick served on the Board for the Pesticide Applicator's Professional Association for 18 years, and was awarded a life membership. He is also a member of the Northern California Landscape Council's Board of Directors and was president in 2000/2001. [pictured left-right:Carol Dubey, Dick Dubey, Gayle Vassar]
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Deborah Walker, Teacher, Buena Vista Elementary School, started teaching science at Buena Vista 13 years ago and is a member of the National Association of Science Teachers and California State Employees Association. Her passion is environmental studies - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot. [pictured left-right: Leslie Dawson, Deborah Walker]
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DOE Joint Genome Institute, The U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, supported by the DOE Office of Science, unites the expertise of five national laboratories - Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge and Pacific Northwest - along with the Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology to advance genomics is support of the DOE missions related to clean energy generation and environmental characterization and cleanup. The Joint Genome Institute is operated by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy. David E. Gilbert, Public Affairs Manager, accepted the award on behalf of the DOE JGI. [pictured left-right: Leslie Dawson, David Gilbert]
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Diablo Auto Specialists is a thriving Walnut Creek repair and maintenance shop servicing domestic and imports with a specialty in Japanese-made vehicles. Under the leadership of owner Tim Stussi, who has 33 years experience in the automotive industry, Diablo Auto Specialists is a model for business excellence, focusing on offering customers positive experiences by providing excellent quality work and by being honest, accessible, and upfront at every stage. [pictured left-right: Leslie Dawson, Tim Stussi]
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Congratulations 2009 UXL Award Recipients |
| Five Local Citizens, Businesses Recognized for Excellence |
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This 2009 honorees are Small Business Person of the Year Francene Anderson, Senior Sales Director, Mary Kay; Citizen of the Year June Krug, Community Volunteer; Educator of the Year Patrick (Pat) Lickiss, Principal, Las Lomas High School; Innovator of the Year Contra Costa Centre Association; and Business of the Year Sports Basement, General Manager, Wayne Spaulding.
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Francene Anderson, Senior Sales Director for Mary Kay, has earned the use of 14 Career Cars from Mary Kay, most of those being the famed pink Cadillac. Her organization of more than 250 women and men sold more than $900,000 in retail sales in 2008. Francene joined the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce in 1987, where she served as a member of the Board of Directors and currently chairs the popular East Bay Women's Conference Committee. [pictured left-right: Assemblymember Joan Buchanan, Francene Anderson, Sanjiv Bhandari, Past Chairman, Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce]
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June Krug, an educator, coach, administrator, and mentor for more than 45 years, has served on the boards of several arts organizations. She has actively supported the Chamber's Education Committee and East Bay Women's Conference, as well as the Bedford Gallery Guild, Youth Homes, the American Legions, and men's and women's professional golfing tournaments. [pictured left-right: Assemblymember Joan Buchanan, June Krug, Sanjiv Bhandari, Past Chairman, Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce]
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Patrick (Pat) Lickiss, Principal, Las Lomas High School, has been an educator in the Acalanes Union High School district for 36 years. Pat and his staff, parent volunteers, and community have set high standards for education and have partnered with great success to make Las Lomas a California Distinguished High School in 2003 and 2007. In 2008, Las Lomas was named a National Blue Ribbon School one of only 11 high schools in California to be recognized for this national award of excellence. [pictured left-right: Assemblymember Joan Buchanan, Pat Lickiss, Sanjiv Bhandari, Past Chairman, Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce]
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Contra Costa Centre Association has developed a vibrant, well-planned, mixed-use community around the Pleasant Hill BART station that has become a nationwide example of the promise of transit- and pedestrian-oriented development. The Association partnered with the County, BART, and major bus transit systems to create a mixed-use neighborhood of housing, jobs, transportation, shopping, dinning, civic and green space uses. Susan Member accepted the award on behalf of Contra Costa Centre Association. [pictured left-right: Assemblymember Joan Buchanan, Susan Meyer, Sanjiv Bhandari, Past Chairman, Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce]
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Sports Basement, located in Ygnacio Valley Plaza, across from Heather Farm Park, believes in "Couches Before Profits." Its robust community outreach efforts support schools, non-profits, and clubs of all types. Word of mouth advertising empowers Sports Basement to support fundraising campaigns and dedicate areas in the store for free meeting space and parties, or to just hang out and relax. Wayne Spaulding accepted the award on behalf of Sports Basement. [picture left-right: Assemblymember Joan Buchanan, Wayne Spaulding, Sanjiv Bhandari, Past Chairman, Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce]
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